Home row typing practice
Drills that use only A S D F G H J K L and the semicolon. Fingers on the bumps, eyes on the screen.
About home row practice
The home row is the middle row of letters: A S D F under the left hand and J K L ; under the right, with G and H reached by the index fingers. Every other key is a short reach from one of these eight resting places, which is why every touch-typing course starts here.
Only about a third of the letters you type in English sit on the QWERTY home row, so it is a small vocabulary: words like "glass", "flask", "salad" and "dash". That is exactly what makes it the right place to begin: few keys, no reaching, and nothing to look for.
Tips
- Find the bumps on F and J before every drill.
- Rest your fingers lightly; do not press down.
- Only the typing finger moves. The rest stay touching their keys.
- Aim for 95% accuracy before you push the speed.
Home row words list (printable)
The most common English words you can type using only home row letters. Print this page for a paper copy of the list.
- all
- as
- had
- has
- dad
- ask
- half
- shall
- glad
- ha
- fall
- gas
- sad
- glass
- hall
- add
- falls
- flag
- salad
- asks
- flash
- lad
- gal
- ad
- ash
Home row practice FAQ
How do I learn home row typing?
Place your index fingers on F and J (feel for the bumps), let the other fingers fall onto A S D and K L ;, and type short drills without looking. Add two keys at a time, as our lessons 1 to 7 do, and practise for 10 minutes a day.
Does home row typing actually work?
Yes. Starting every keystroke from a fixed position is what lets movements become automatic. Typists who skip it tend to keep looking at the keyboard and plateau sooner.
What words can I type with only the home row?
Common examples are a, as, ask, add, all, dad, sad, had, has, lad, gas, glad, half, fall, flag, flash, glass, salad, flask and shall. The printable list on this page has all the common ones.
How long should I practise the home row?
Until you can type home row words at around 15 to 20 WPM with 95% accuracy without looking. For most beginners that takes a few short sessions, then move on to the top row.